by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the wall

Harish Gupta

Modi-Shah Eye the Last Frontier Now

For the Bharatiya Janata Party, Punjab has long remained the final political fortress it could never conquer on its own. But with the 2027 Assembly election now firmly on the radar, the Narendra Modi–Amit Shah combine has begun crafting an aggressive multi-layered strategy to crack the border state — politically, socially and psychologically.

The BJP believes the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is increasingly vulnerable. The recent twin low-intensity blasts near the Army cantonment boundary wall in Amritsar’s Khasa and outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar handed the BJP a potent national security narrative. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav’s observation that Pakistan’s ISI could be linked to the incidents allowed the BJP to sharpen its attack, projecting the Mann government as weak on security in a sensitive border state where Khalistani elements are once again attempting to regroup.

Privately, BJP strategists argue that Punjab’s electorate is growing uneasy over what they describe as “administrative drift” under the AAP regime. The Opposition’s allegations about Mann allegedly arriving drunk at an official function have further fueled the perception battle around the chief minister’s image.

But the BJP’s biggest weapon may well be its political engineering. The party has quietly built a formidable network of imported heavyweights. Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar came from the Congress. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu crossed over from the Congress. Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is already in the saffron camp. Now, the dramatic defection of Raghav Chadha and six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP has injected fresh momentum into the party’s expansion plans.

The message from Delhi is unmistakable: Punjab is no longer being treated as an impossible state. After Bengal, the BJP now wants its next great breakthrough in the nation’s volatile border belt.

What's common between Suvendu and Sarma

For decades, India’s opposition parties perfected one political art: promoting bloodlines over battlefield commanders. The BJP, meanwhile, perfected the opposite—spotting ambitious regional warhorses abandoned by dynastic courts and turning them into chief ministers. That is the common thread binding Suvendu Adhikari and Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Adhikari was not merely another Trinamool functionary. He was the architect of Nandigram, the mass mobiliser who helped catapult Mamata Banerjee from street fighter to Bengal’s undisputed ruler. For years, he was seen as the natural political heir. But the succession script changed when the party pivoted toward Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew waiting in the wings. Adhikari walked out in 2020, joined the BJP, and became not merely as Leader of Opposition, but the saffron camp’s King of Bengal.

The Assam story is eerily similar. Sarma spent 25 years building the Congress in the Northeast brick by brick. Yet when succession politics surfaced, the establishment appeared more comfortable backing Gaurav Gogoi, son of former CM Tarun Gogoi. Sarma crossed over to the BJP in 2015. Today, he is not just Assam’s dominant leader but the BJP’s principal strategist across the Northeast.

The lesson is brutal. Parties weakened by a dynasty often lose their most effective generals. The BJP’s rise is not explained only by electoral machinery or aggressive campaigning. Its real long game lies in identifying leaders discarded by family-run parties, rewarding ambition over inheritance, and converting political resentment into raw electoral power.

Nitish also Crowns His Prince

For years, Nitish Kumar built his political brand around two claims — clean governance and uncompromising opposition to dynastic politics. With the elevation of his son Nishant Kumar as health minister in the Samrat Choudhary-led Bihar government, that carefully cultivated moral high ground has come crashing down.

The symbolism was impossible to miss. Nishant, who joined the JD(U) barely a month ago and has never fought an election, walked straight into ministerial office after touching his father’s feet on stage. No years in the organisational trenches. No electoral baptism. No legislative experience. Just lineage.

For decades, Nitish attacked Lalu Prasad Yadav for turning politics into a family enterprise — first installing Rabri Devi as chief minister and then promoting sons like Tejashwi Yadav. Today, Nitish stands accused of embracing precisely the culture he once denounced.

The BJP’s silence has been equally revealing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi routinely attacks “parivarvaad” as a danger to democracy, yet the saffron camp looked the other way when its ally inducted a political novice solely because he carried the right surname. The official explanation — that allies are free to choose their ministers — sounded less like principle and more like political convenience. The irony is devastating: the man who spent decades attacking the dynasty has ultimately surrendered to it.

What Next for the Trinamool?

What lies ahead for the TMC is the million-dollar question. One thing, however, is beyond doubt: Mamata Banerjee is a street-fighter, a leader who thrives on direct confrontation. She is unlikely to allow the BJP to govern West Bengal without resistance. Unlike Odisha, where the BJP faces little push back, Bengal promises to remain a battleground, with Banerjee personally taking on the government.

Yet, time is not on her side. Her decision to project her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, as heir apparent has not inspired the same mass appeal that she commands. That gap raises questions about succession and party cohesion.

Rumours during the election of around 15 Trinamool MPs being in touch with the BJP — including some from the Rajya Sabha — were dismissed by the party as psychological warfare. But could such speculation acquire substance now? Bengal’s political history offers clues. While Left cadres rarely defected, Congress leaders often switched sides. The Trinamool itself is largely built on that Congress legacy — leaders accustomed to being in power.

If the perception grows that the BJP is entrenched in Bengal for the long haul, defections cannot be ruled out. With 29 MPs, the Trinamool remains a significant bloc — and a potential target. Don’t be surprised if “Operation Lotus” quietly gathers pace in the state, especially beyond minority-dominated constituencies.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the wall

Harish Gupta

When Sonia Gandhi Vetoed Rahul

In the shadowy corridors of Indian National Congress, the Tamil Nadu puzzle had begun to look less like strategy and more like a family writ. Rahul Gandhi, restless and impatient, was quietly flirting with a political gamble—ditching the old warhorse Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and exploring a bold alignment with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) fronted by actor-turned-politician Vijay.

Signals were subtle but unmistakable. Rahul’s public defence of Vijay over censorship controversies in early January this year was no casual gesture—it was a political wink. Congress insiders whispered of back channel talks, of emissaries testing the waters, of a new southern script being drafted. The state unit, weary of playing second fiddle to the DMK, wasn’t entirely opposed either.

But the DMK wasn’t taking chances. A visibly concerned senior leader Kanimozhi made a quiet dash to Delhi, landing at 10 Janpath on a cold January evening. The message was blunt: don’t rock the boat. Yet, Rahul held his ground. The stalemate deepened, and Tamil Nadu’s alliance arithmetic teetered on collapse.

Enter Sonia Gandhi. On March 3, the Congress matriarch stepped in with characteristic finality. Calls were made, lines were drawn, and a direct channel was opened with M. K. Stalin. The message was clear—there would be no adventurism. The DMK alliance would hold. Rahul’s experiment was over before it began. Reluctantly, the party fell in line. Seat-sharing was stitched up, the façade of unity restored. It's a different matter that Rahul Gandhi did not address any joint rallies and maintained distance.

But politics has a cruel sense of timing. As results trickled in, murmurs grew louder—had Rahul seen what others missed? TVK’s rise hinted at a shifting ground reality, one the Congress chose not to ride. For now, discipline trumped instinct. Rahul deferred. Sonia decided. And somewhere in Tamil Nadu, a missed opportunity quietly lingered.

A Midnight Operation: How Amit Shah Breached the Kejriwal Fortress

For years, the Aam Aadmi Party’s compact but combative Rajya Sabha bloc of ten MPs punched far above its weight, needling the National Democratic Alliance at every turn. Even when Swati Maliwal broke ranks, the fortress held—cracks visible, but no collapse.

Then came the moment that changed the script. As Raghav Chadha—once the blue-eyed strategist of Arvind Kejriwal—lost his footing within the party, the tremors began. Whispers turned into quiet huddles; disquiet found a direction. Delhi’s political grapevine sensed movement before the headlines did.

What followed had all the elements of a classic capital intrigue. On a humid Delhi night, well past the hour of routine political activity, seven AAP MPs slipped into Amit Shah’s residence for a close-door meeting that insiders now describe as decisive. It wasn’t just a courtesy call. Shah, in his trademark clinical style, is learnt to have laid out a hard political brief—Punjab’s stalled governance, the patchy rollout of central schemes, and the shrinking space for relevance within AAP.

By the time the meeting broke, sometime close to midnight, the die was cast. Numbers, as always in Delhi, proved more decisive than noise. With over two-thirds of the bloc ready to walk, the anti-defection law turned from a barrier into a bridge.

The Kejriwal fortress didn’t fall with a bang—it was quietly unlocked from within. In the capital’s shadowy power game, this was less a rebellion and more a midnight extraction—swift, silent, and devastatingly effective.

New CDS: The Guessing Game Intensifies

As the war in West Asia dominates strategic conversations, a quieter but equally intense churn is underway within India’s military establishment: who will be the next Chief of Defence Staff? With General Anil Chauhan’s extended tenure ending on May 30, 2026, the race has entered a decisive phase—though officially, the field remains wide open.

The timing adds intrigue. Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi are both set to retire within months, placing them in contention. Predictably, lobbying has picked up, with each service keenly watching how the balance of power may shift.

Yet, the buzz in Delhi’s security circles suggests the outcome may not rest solely within the services. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is widely seen as a key influence in such appointments. His military adviser, Lt Gen. S. Raja Subramani, has emerged as a serious contender—mirroring Chauhan’s own trajectory from the same role to CDS. Both Chauhan and India’s first CDS, the late General Bipin Rawat, were considered close to Doval’s strategic worldview.

However, another appointment of a retired Army general could trigger disquiet within the Navy and Air Force, which have long argued against the Army’s institutional dominance. The CDS post, after all, was conceived to foster jointness and integration across services.

With eligibility norms now widened to include serving and retired three-star officers, the government has flexibility. The real test will be whether it uses that leeway to reinforce balance—or continuity.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the Wall

Harish Gupta

Spy vs Spy: Delhi’s Surveillance Politics Explodes

In geopolitics, lessons travel fast. Ever since reports surfaced that Israeli intelligence agencies tracked and eliminated top Iranian leadership by mapping vehicle movements, a quiet paranoia has gripped power corridors in Delhi. Suddenly, CCTV cameras are no longer just about traffic violations or street crime—they are potential instruments of political intelligence. In the Capital, this unease has snowballed into a full-blown surveillance slugfest between Aam Aadmi Party and BJP.

What began as a flagship public safety project under Arvind Kejriwal—with lakhs of cameras blanketing the city—is now being systematically dismantled. The BJP, now calling the shots, has ordered a sweeping reset: scrap the old network, float fresh tenders, bring in new spy machines. The official trigger? Security concerns over Chinese-origin equipment, especially from Hikvision. In an era of heightened cyber anxieties, the argument has some weight. But scratch the surface, and a more political story emerges. The BJP’s unease is blunt: a surveillance grid built, controlled, and calibrated under AAP could double up as a political listening post. Why inherit a system you don’t trust?

The AAP's counter-charge is equally sharp—that the BJP wants its own digital eyes and ears, a tailor-made network to watch rivals, not just wrongdoers. The numbers tell their own story. Nearly 1.4 lakh cameras—many installed between 2020 and 2022—are being ripped out. This isn’t maintenance; it’s demolition with intent. The larger question, then, is not just about Chinese hardware or public safety. In Delhi, the CCTV is no longer just a camera on the wall. It’s a lens into power, paranoia, and the politics of who watches whom.

Priyanka Chaturvedi at the Crossroads

Is Priyanka Chaturvedi scripting a comeback via the Lok Sabha, or angling for another Rajya Sabha innings? With her Upper House term from Shiv Sena (UBT) over, the chatter in political corridors is getting louder—and juicier. The buzz has a clear geographical anchor: Mathura. It’s not just sentiment. Chaturvedi hails from here and her recent visit has set tongues wagging. The seat is currently held by Hema Malini, but by 2029, age could redraw the BJP’s calculus, opening a tempting window.

But the real intrigue lies in the party tag. Will she stay loyal, switch sides, or hedge her bets? Signals are mixed. One track suggests a Rajya Sabha re-entry with possible backing from the Samajwadi Party, which is eyeing gains in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh RS polls. With numbers on its side, the SP could bag multiple seats—but not without resistance from the BJP.

Yet, there’s a twist. Akhilesh Yadav is reportedly more keen to test her electoral heft in Mathura than park her in the Rajya Sabha. Back channel voices may prefer a safe RS berth, but the SP chief seems to favour a riskier, high-reward Lok Sabha gamble.

Meanwhile, equations with her current party remain less than warm. From flirting with a saffron switch to exploring the UP route, every option is on the table. One thing is clear: her next move could be less about loyalty—and more about survival and ambition.

Price Tag Politics: How Much for Power?

A 19-minute “sting” clip has detonated like a political landmine in West Bengal. Released by the Trinamool Congress, it alleges that Humayun Kabir of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party struck a staggering ₹1,000 crore deal with the BJP to split minority votes in Murshidabad and Malda ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. Kabir first dismissed it as AI fakery, then conceded the clip was real—only “edited & incomplete.” The BJP has waved it off as theatrics. Truth, as always, sits somewhere behind the noise, waiting.

But the deeper tremor comes from an unlikely quarter. Birendra Singh who was in the first Modi Cabinet for five years, has cut through the fog with a blunt observation: a leader “worth” ₹20 crore is pushed into delirium when the BJP pays Rs 50 crore.

What does this moment reveal? Not just the presence of money power—that is old news—but its breathtaking scale and normalization. Elections are no longer merely contests of ideology or identity; they risk becoming high-stakes financial markets where loyalties are traded, constituencies are segmented, and outcomes are engineered with capital.

The alleged ₹1,000 crore figure, whether proven or not, is symbolic. It signals a shift—from retail corruption to wholesale political investment. In such a marketplace, voters are reduced to data points, and democracy to a negotiable instrument. The last word on this controversy may still be unwritten. But one question now demands an answer: when the price of power keeps rising, who—or what—gets sold first?

The Reluctant Warrior

Assembly elections are underway in two major states—West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Polling for 152 seats in Bengal and all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu is scheduled for April 23. PM Modi has unleashed an aggressive campaign blitz. Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a 15-day ground push in Bengal.

In sharp contrast, Rahul Gandhi has largely stayed away from Tamil Nadu campaigning so far. He has not been particularly visible in Bengal either.  He is finally visited West Bengal on Tuestday, April 14 and may visit one more time. But along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, his focus has remained on Kerala, Puducherry and Assam—even there, without matching Modi’s intensity. The BJP, despite modest prospects in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the party has mounted a full-scale effort.

Congress, however, seems to be going through the motions. Though it is contesting more seats in TN in alliance with the DMK, its top leadership’s late push looks largely symbolic. In Bengal, where it is contesting widely after decades, expectations remain modest despite pockets of hope in Murshidabad and Malda.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the Wall

Harish Gupta

Amit Shah’s Talent Hunt in the Heartland

The saffron gates in Punjab haven't just been nudged open; they’ve been ripped off the hinges. Amit Shah’s "Open Door" policy isn’t a strategy; it’s a vacuum. After the solo runs in Assam and West Bengal, the blueprint is clear: if you can’t beat the machinery, buy the mechanics. But in the corridors of the Punjab BJP, the "old guard" is shivering. They spent decades chanting for a Congress-Mukt Bharat, only to wake up in a Congress-Yukt BJP.

Look at the masthead. Sunil Jakhar, whose DNA carries a century of Congress tradition, now holds the reins. Ravneet Singh Bittu didn’t just defect; he fast-tracked into a Union Ministry. Then there’s the "Maharaja," Captain Amarinder Singh, who moved his entire darbar from the Congress stable to the Lotus fold.

The message from Delhi is unsentimental: "Winning is the only loyalty." Talent is being scouted like a corporate headhunt. Whether it’s rebel AAP MPs looking for a lifeboat or Akali Dal veterans sensing a shift in the wind, the welcome mat is out. It’s the Assam model on steroids. In Guwahati, the CM and his cabinet are a "Who’s Who" of former Congress stalwarts. Punjab is now sprinting down that same track.

For the BJP veterans who braved the lean years, the irony is bitter. They fought the "Hand" for a lifetime, only to find the "Hand" now wearing the "Lotus" ring and calling the shots. They fear the party’s soul is being traded for a spreadsheet of vote banks. Shah’s gamble is high-stakes. He’s betting that a patchwork of "borrowed" giants can do what the original cadre couldn't: conquer the heartland of the farmers' protest. The doors stay open, the air is thick with ambition, and the original saffron line is fading into a shade of "Congress-lite."

Rahul Gandhi’s Kerala Googley

Rahul Gandhi has tossed a political googley in Kerala, declaring that if the Congress comes to power, he would like to see a woman as Chief Minister. The remark has instantly reset the conversation. The pitch, however, came wrapped in sentiment. During the campaign, Rahul recalled his recent experience when Sonia Gandhi was hospitalised. He spoke of a nurse from Kerala who attended to her with remarkable care, using the anecdote to spotlight the compassion and commitment associated with the state’s nurses. “A nurse from Kerala came every hour to check on my mother… they have comforted countless families in their most difficult times,” he said, before adding that he looks forward to Kerala having a woman Chief Minister.

Yet, the emotional appeal masks hard politics. The statement has unsettled senior leaders like K. C. Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and V. D. Satheesan. The Congress in Kerala has a thin bench of prominent women leaders. With barely eight or nine women candidates among its 95 seats, the optics sit uneasily with the promise. Among those being discussed is MP Hibi Eden, though she is not contesting. Shanimol Usman, Bindu Krishna, Uma Thomas are also being talked about apart from Former MP and Dalit leader Ramya Haridas. For now, Rahul’s googley has landed. Whether it turns into a wicket will depend on the verdict—and the numbers.

What’s Cooking in Bihar?

There’s more than routine constitutional propriety behind the calm in Patna. Nitish Kumar may have resigned from the Legislative Council within the mandated 14-day window after his election to the Rajya Sabha on March 16, but he continues to hold on as Chief Minister of Bihar—and that has set political antennas twitching. Formally, there is nothing amiss. Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution, a non-legislator can serve as Chief Minister for up to six months. Nitish is expected to take oath in the Rajya Sabha around April 10. Until then—and even beyond—his dual positioning raises no immediate red flags in law.

But politics rarely stops at legality. Nitish’s decision to stay put hints at calibrated ambiguity. Is he buying time, or keeping options open in an ever-fluid Bihar landscape? The silence is as telling as any statement.

History offers a sharp reminder of how such overlaps can carry outsized consequences. In 1999, Giridhar Gamang, then Chief Minister of Odisha, voted in the Lok Sabha as a sitting MP. His lone vote against Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government proved decisive, toppling it by a single vote. Nitish’s current stance may be constitutionally sound, but in Indian politics, such technicalities often mask deeper churn. The real story, clearly, is still unfolding.

Arif Mohd. Khan to Dhaka!

The Modi government is seriously considering sending a senior political leader as India's envoy to Bangladesh. If this happens it will be a departure from precedent by considering a political figure for the post of high commissioner. The name doing the rounds is of Arif Mohammed Khan who was Governor of Bihar until a few weeks ago. His removal from the post surprised political circles as he was removed on the day it was decided that Nitish Kumar will quit as Chief Minister. Khan was last seen in the company of top RSS functionaries in Mathura recently.

There is also a talk that a Bengali-speaking envoy will be picked up. The choice of a new High Commissioner comes at a time of political transition in Bangladesh and Tarique Rahman becoming the new PM. The current Indian envoy Pranay Kumar Verma is retiring soon.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the Wall

Harish Gupta

A Quiet Exit, A Loud Loss

The BJP gained three extra Rajya Sabha seats across Assam, Odisha and Bihar — and then stumbled in Haryana, losing one by less than a vote. A statistical blip? Not quite. In politics, ghosts rarely stay buried. Just ask Jagdeep Dhankhar. Once elevated to the Vice President’s chair with much fanfare, Dhankhar’s abrupt exit turned him into what the party presumed was a closed chapter. No courtroom comeback (convention forbids it), no electoral rerun — politically mothballed. Or so it seemed.

But politics has a wicked sense of timing. Without contesting, campaigning, or even speaking, Dhankhar may have quietly swung a Rajya Sabha seat. The trail leads to Haryana — and to Abhay Chautala, heir to Devi Lal’s legacy. Dhankhar, post-resignation, has been staying at Chautala’s farmhouse — not as a guest, but almost as family. When the vote came, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), with its two MLAs, chose abstention over alignment. That silence spoke volumes. Had those votes tilted toward the BJP, the “lost” seat might have been secured.

This is where arithmetic meets emotion. Within BJP circles, unease is growing that the “Dhankhar factor” may not be a one-off. His unceremonious exit has reportedly ruffled Jat sentiment — not just in Haryana, but across Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. The same community that once saw his elevation as symbolic empowerment now reads his fall as political discard. And in a region where caste equations often outvote campaign rhetoric, that perception can travel far.

The immediate loss? One Rajya Sabha seat. The potential cost? A slow, simmering political backlash. Because in Indian politics, it’s not always the loud exits that hurt — sometimes, it’s the quiet ones that echo the longest.

A mystery behind the coveted Bungalow 

For a man who once presided over proceedings with a firm hand, Jagdeep Dhankhar is now discovering that the real game begins after the chair is vacated. Nearly eight months after demitting office, the former Vice President is still waiting to step into his officially allotted Type-VIII bungalow at A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road—prime Lutyens' Delhi real estate. The explanation? Renovations, technicalities, paperwork—pick your favourite bureaucratic alibi.

The irony is hard to miss. Here is a constitutional authority, once at the apex of the system, now navigating the same maze that ordinary mortals have long complained about. The allotment, we are told, happened months ago. The house, however, seems to be playing hide-and-seek—vacant, yet unavailable; allotted, yet not offered.

Even the formal letter of possession appears to be on an extended sabbatical. The ever-dependable Central Public Works Department is reportedly “working” on it—though what exactly is being worked on remains as elusive as the keys to the bungalow. Meanwhile, Dhankhar cools his heels at a private farmhouse, a temporary arrangement stretching into a long-term anecdote.

In the grand theatre of Delhi’s power corridors, this is less a housing delay and more a masterclass in how the system treats even its own veterans. Titles fade, protocols thin out, and the file—always the file—takes on a life of its own. For Dhankhar, the lesson is perhaps unexpected but unmistakable: in Delhi, you may enforce the rules once—but sooner or later, you must also endure them.

Nitish Going Nowhere: Health Concerns Aside

Despite persistent whispers over frail health and an impending transition, Nitish Kumar is signaling one thing with unmistakable clarity: he is not exiting Bihar’s political stage anytime soon. His move to retain the Janata Dal (United) presidency, even as he prepares to shift to the Rajya Sabha, is less a retreat and more a recalibration. The message within the NDA ecosystem is clear—Nitish may step aside from the chief minister’s chair, but not from the levers of power. Party insiders concede that his role in choosing a successor will be decisive. The name of Samrat Chaudhary is doing the rounds, but the final word rests with Nitish. His repeated public endorsements of the deputy chief minister are being read as both grooming and gate keeping.

Equally telling is the calibrated emergence of Nishant Kumar. Once shielded from politics, the younger Kumar is now being positioned as a future stakeholder—an evolution that underscores Nitish’s intent to shape the post-him era without surrendering control.

For the BJP, this arrangement offers continuity without confrontation. For the JDU, it ensures that its social coalition—particularly the Luv-Kush axis—remains anchored to a familiar pivot. By shifting roles rather than relinquishing relevance, he is crafting a soft landing that keeps him firmly at the centre of Bihar’s power matrix. Watch out for the new Assembly Speaker too.  

A Shake-Up, Finally

The long-whispered churn in the BJP ecosystem is edging from speculation to schedule. By May, a calibrated shake-up across party, government and its wider power grid now looks imminent. The timing is hardly accidental. A short Parliament session — expected to clear the politically loaded women’s reservation and delimitation bills — will give the government both momentum and manoeuvring room. With the current West Asia turbulence likely to cool by then, the stage could be set for a reset in New Delhi.

Inside the party, the organisational reshuffle has been on hold ever since Nitin Nabin took charge. That pause now appears tactical. A round of musical chairs is in the works: some ministers may be redeployed to strengthen the party apparatus, while fresh faces could be drafted into the Union Council.

At the centre of it all is Narendra Modi, who is set to complete two years of his third term in May — a natural inflection point for course correction. A cabinet reshuffle is expected, with performance, caste calculus and electoral signaling all in play. The possible entry of Nitish Kumar into the Union Cabinet adds another layer of intrigue. If executed well, this won’t just be a reshuffle — it could be a strategic reboot ahead of the next political curve.